Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a White House drug-shortage plan, a Genmab deal, and more

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far, and remember there are only a few more days until the weekend arrives. So keep plugging away. After all, what are the alternatives? While you ponder the possibilities, we invite you to join us for a delightful cup of stimulation. Our choice today is, once again, maple cinnamon French toast. Remember that no prescription is required — so no co-pay or rebate is involved. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you on your way. Have a wonderful day, and please do stay in touch. …

President Biden on Wednesday will tout Democrat efforts to lower the cost of inhalers after drugmakers announced plans to cap prices, The Hill writes. The president, alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), will give remarks at the White House to highlight the action on the cost of inhalers. They will also be joined by health care advocates and experts, according to a White House official. After the administration’s crackdown, which included scrutiny for anticompetitive practices that can delay lower-cost generics from coming to market, three of the four largest inhaler manufacturers announced in March that they would cap the cost of inhalers for many patients at $35 per month.

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The White House at long last published a plan to stem drug shortages, and it involves basing Medicare pay to hospitals on whether they adopt business practices that avoid shortages, STAT writes. The plan would create two nongovernmental organizations that the government would accredit — one would rate drugmakers on how well they maintain resilient supply chains and the other would rate hospitals on their performance. The government’s Manufacturing Resiliency Assessment Program would create metrics and a process to assess drugmaker practices to monitor for shortages and improve manufacturing performance.

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